Fred Hutch Cancer Center, since its inception, has committed to partnering with our community to create longer, healthier and richer lives for our patients and everyone living in our service area of Washington state. Community Benefit work is an extension of our core mission.
We devoted $189.6 million, 7.8% of our operational costs, to community benefit activities in fiscal year 2025 (FY25). A significant portion of this funding extended our high-quality clinical services to those who could not otherwise afford them, providing subsidized care and offering services needed at a financial loss. A cornerstone of our community benefit work and funding is dedicated to publicly available research that improves health outcomes by addressing complex challenges through lab research, clinical trials and population studies. Critical investments are also made in community health improvement services aimed at reducing the burden of cancer among populations experiencing greater barriers to care, and education opportunities for current and future health care professionals.
Our organization remains dedicated to ensuring that community priorities are at the forefront of our work and by extension, part of the core mission of Fred Hutch. We have made great strides in building trusted working partnerships to support the highest quality care for every community. As we close out this 3-year implementation plan and look to the next, I know that we will continue to provide strong leadership in addressing the current needs of our communities.
— Fred Hutch President and Director Dr. Thomas J. Lynch Jr.
1. Priority Areas
Fred Hutch’s current Community Benefit priorities for FY25 are informed by the 2022 Community Health Needs Assessment.
- Advancing health equity
- Providing culturally attuned prevention, education and screening
- Delivering access to affordable and attainable comprehensive care
The 2022-2025 Community Benefit Implementation Plan also provides more detailed goals and objectives for addressing the community’s cancer-related health needs.
These documents are renewed every three years and in late 2025 a new Community Health Assessment and Implementation Plan was published that includes new priority areas alongside updated goals and objectives. This information will be included in forthcoming Community Benefit annual reports.
3. Financial Assistance and Means-Tested Government Programs
$38.6 million of our community benefit investment supported financial assistance to those who are uninsured, underinsured or otherwise unable to pay for their health care. This also includes reimbursed costs for providing care to patients enrolled in government-sponsored programs.
3,363
Community Health Education
We participate in numerous community events and health fairs across Washington state to promote cancer prevention, screening and vaccine education. We collaborate with community-based organizations to connect with populations that face greater barriers to care.
We also provide educational events for patients, families and survivors on specific cancer diagnoses including information about research, treatment, survivorship and supportive care.
Fred Hutch participated in more than 130 educational events in FY25, including many that are co-hosted or attended by several programs across Fred Hutch. View examples of some of these events below.
Metastatic Breast Cancer: From Surviving to Thriving
Fred Hutch hosted and welcomed 257 attendees to this free event for patients with metastatic breast cancer and their caregivers. Attendees heard medical experts discuss fundamentals of metastatic breast cancer (stage 4 disease), financial toxicity and planning, potential effects of this diagnosis on relationships and sexual health and how to cope, self-care resources and updates on the latest research and clinical trials.
Latina Health Symposium
A community led forum hosted in three cities across Washington state in Renton, Granger and Spokane in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. These events brought together 239 people representing over 100 different organizations to learn, share stories, and center topics and resources that impact Latine health. Participants included clinicians, public health professionals, community workers, researchers, students and community members.
Healthy For the Holidays
Fred Hutch hosted its 15th annual holiday educational event for more than 140 cancer survivors, patients, caregivers and family members. This half day event focused on health and wellness topics for survivors post treatment and centered around support for sleep health, art/creative expression and nutrition tips during the holiday season.
Living Tobacco-Free Services
Staff of the Living Tobacco-Free Services supported more than 12 outreach and education events that reached more than 400 people dedicated to sharing tailored information to communities focused on evidence-based commercial tobacco cessation resources and prevention.
Community-Based Clinical Services
To improve access to care, we provide breast and colorectal cancer screening programs for community members.
Mammogram Van
We partner with community-based organizations, health clinics and corporations to bring our state-of-the-art van all over the greater Seattle area to reach underserved communities.
- 5,945 mammograms completed in FY25
Population Health Colorectal Cancer Screening Program
Through a collaborative effort between Fred Hutch and UW Medicine, we launched a colorectal cancer screening program with a focus on mailing fecal immunochemical tests (FITs) to all UW Medicine patients.
In 2025, 32.76% (4,733/ 14,446) of patients who received a FIT kit completed colorectal cancer screening.
Health Care Support Services
We provide support services to help enhance access to care for individuals facing challenges in obtaining health services.
Patient Navigation Program
Patient navigators provide individualized assistance to patients, families, and caregivers to help overcome health care system barriers and facilitate timely access to qualified medical and psychosocial care. In FY25, we served 3,088 patients.
Donated Family Assistance Fund
Our Donated Family Assistance Fund provides assistance for patients needing support with needs such as shelter, food and transportation.
In FY25, we served 349 patients and total funds given were $678,402.
Financial Counselors
We assist patients with Washington State Department of Social and Health Services applications, charity applications and financial assistance.
Financial counseling approved 3,572 patient applications in FY25.
5. Health Professions Education
Fred Hutch invested $20.1 million to train medical professionals in the community in the advanced care and patient support we provide, so we can share our expertise and expand our reach beyond our immediate patient population. This includes graduate medical education for residents and fellows, nursing students and other health care professionals such as social workers and lab technicians.
UW Prof. James Floyd provides training to attendees during the MOSAAIC CCFC Clinic Visit Training meeting at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center.
Anthony Rongvaux speaks during a group activity about Maintaining Effective Communication during the Research Mentor Education Workshop.
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Yeon Woo Kim works in the Hsieh Lab. Kim has been awarded a prestigious K99 Award from the NIH.
UW Prof. James Floyd provides training to attendees during the MOSAAIC CCFC Clinic Visit Training meeting at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center.
Anthony Rongvaux speaks during a group activity about Maintaining Effective Communication during the Research Mentor Education Workshop.
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Yeon Woo Kim works in the Hsieh Lab. Kim has been awarded a prestigious K99 Award from the NIH.
6. Research
Alongside research grants and other donations, Fred Hutch contributed $126.3 million to produce some of the most important breakthroughs in the prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer, HIV and other diseases. Precision oncology, immune modification and the intersection of data, technology and science continue to be where we’re looking beyond what is possible today to transform the research and care landscape.
Fred Hutch research by the numbers in FY25:
300+
200+
40+
Community-based Research
Fred Hutch prioritizes partnering with community members, especially those who are disproportionately affected by cancer, at every stage of the research continuum. This approach provides opportunities for community members and researchers to learn from each other while building trust based on the shared goal of improving cancer outcomes.
The Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research (HICOR) is a research institute at Fred Hutch that strives to improve cancer prevention, detection and treatment in ways that will reduce the economic and human burden of cancer — and ultimately lead to better outcomes for patients. To achieve this, HICOR brings together researchers, patient partners, clinicians, payers, and policymakers to share cancer-related data and generate clinically relevant performance metrics that can guide improvements in cancer care.
Community Grants Program
Ten organizations were funded in FY25 through the Community Grants Program to ensure fair and just access to community needs. Each organization received a grant of up to $15,000 to develop and implement an innovative project that addressed cancer-related prevention, screening, education and access to care with communities and tribes in Washington State.
8. Community-Building Activities
We devoted $151,514 to community-building activities that encourage conversation, collaboration and advocacy to address the public health needs of Washington state residents. We build and maintain strong and trusted external relationships with many communities to support improved health outcomes for all.
Some of these activities include:
Tribal Health Summit
The inaugural Tribal Cancer Health Summit was hosted by the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement’s Indigenous Cancer Health Excellence Initiative at Fred Hutch. This event brought together Washington state tribes, tribal partners, and other partners and collaborators to strengthen tribal-driven approaches to cancer prevention, screening, treatment, survivorship and research. The summit centered community voices and lived experiences and created a dedicated space for American Indian and Alaska Native communities to come together to identify opportunities for collaboration.
Pathways to Health Symposium
Our annual Pathways to Health Symposium hosts researchers, community champions, patient advocates and providers to engage with important topics related to cancer. The symposium provides a forum for us to connect researchers with community, learn about best practices, and to reflect on what we can do to address the health needs in our communities.
Community Coalitions
Through our Office of Outreach and Engagement, we work with community members and organizations through our community coalitions to support sustainable cancer care programs and build capacity for research collaboration. Coalition members provide insights from their lived experience and organizational roles to facilitate understanding of community specific cancer prevention and control needs. Together, we work toward listening to community voices, experiences and expertise to reduce cancer burden for residents in Washington state. These coalitions span the state and include: